In previous posts I’ve written that the Avalanche will consider power forward Brendan Lemieux, the Denver-born son of former Avs forward Claude Lemieux, for the 23rd pick in the first round of the NHL draft June 27 in Philadelphia. So who else is on the Avs’ radar at No. 23, assuming they don’t trade the pick?

Based on Colorado’s needs, player profiles, Central Scouting rankings and mock drafts from TSN and NHL.com folks, I came up with the following five candidates, and they all just so happen to be American (completely coincidental) In alphabetical order:

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.